Pekin woman indicted in bogus prescription calls

PEKIN — A woman is accused of phoning in a bogus prescription for the controlled substance Xanax to four Pekin pharmacies on the same day.

Cooperation between pharmacy employees at Kroger, both Walgreens stores in the city and Walmart and police led to the woman’s arrest.

Danielle L. Pickle, 26, of 404 Manor St. was indicted last week by a Tazewell County grand jury on two charges of identity theft. The more serious charge carries a maximum five-year prison term.

According to court records, Pickle called the pharmacies June 15 saying she was Cynthia Goodwin, a nurse practitioner for a Bartonville family medicine doctor, or a female acquaintance who was supposed to be getting the prescription.

The doctor’s actual nurse practitioner told a Kroger pharmacy employee that no Cynthia Goodwin works at the office.

The employee called the doctor’s office because a voicemail from Cynthia Goodwin did not include the number of pills in the prescription.

An employee of the Walgreens pharmacy on Broadway Street called police when a male and female (later identified as Pickle) drove into the pharmacy drive-through asking for the Xanax prescription.

The employee told police the two were asked to wait in the parking lot, but they left.

Using the prescription validation phone number provided by the male, police found Pickle and the male.

Police said Pickle told them she called in the prescription to the pharmacies and tried to pick up the Xanax at Walgreens. She said she and the male were going to take the drug. The male was not charged.

Pickle’s acquaintance who was supposed to be getting the Xanax told police she hadn’t seen Pickle for a week and had not given her permission to pick up a prescription.

Pickle pleaded not guilty to the charges last week. Her next court appearance is July 25. She’s free on $5,000 bond.